To Dream of Memory
by Lady-Sci-Fi
Summary: SJA. sequel to Dalek Invasion of Earth: 2007.A Human slave on the planet Udon has dreams. These dreams make her different. But why does she dream? What is the truth behind these dreams?
1. Chapter 1

Here we are… the second adventure for all the characters from Dalek Invasion of Earth: 2007. It may get a bit confusing… but please bear with it… everything will eventually make sense. Please review… I like feedback. Hobey ho…

To Dream of Memory

Prologue

"Tegan, Bry, are you there?" called Alan Jackson's voice from my laptop.

"Yes, Alan?" I yawned, sitting down at the table to find his face on the Instant Messenger webcam. I had just gotten out of the shower. Bry had just gotten in. "Do you know what time it is here?"

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Sec called us a few minutes ago. He said he found something in the Australian Outback that he wants us to investigate," Alan explained.

I grinned. "Anything for him."

"We thought you'd say that."

"Where's Sarah?"

"She and the rest of them are packing for a few days in Australia. I have to do that soon too. Will you and Bry be joining us?"

"Of course. Give us an hour before we T-mat over."

"I'll tell Sarah. See you in an hour," Alan waved before logging off the webcam.

I finished drying my hair, then banged on the bathroom door.

"What is it?" Bry shouted over the running water.

"Hurry up! We have to pack."

"What?"

"Just hurry up."

Bry came out fifteen minutes later, towel wrapped around his waist as he walked into the bedroom. "What's going on?" he said, after seeing my half-filled suitcase. "We haven't been invited to any digs, have we?"

I shook my head. "Alan called. We're going to Australia. I told him we'd be over in an hour." I threw a pair of his boxers, jeans, and a shirt at him. "Please put some clothes on."

"Oh, so now you don't like me in the buff?" Bry teased.

I smiled and shook my head before going back to my packing. We were ready forty-five minutes later. We materialized in Sarah Jane's attic after calling ahead to have Clyde operate the T-mat controls on their end.

"Ah, hello, Tegan and Bry," Sarah greeted before turning to her supercomputer. "Mr Smith, I need you to book seven tickets on a flight leaving for Sydney, then a connecting flight to…" she looked over to Maria and asked, "Where did Sec say he was?"

"Perth," answered Maria.

Sarah turned back to Mr Smith. "Make a connecting flight from Sydney to Perth."

"One moment, please," said the pleasant masculine voice of the alien supercomputer.

"K9," Sarah addressed her robotic dog.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"I can't take you with us. Will you be a good dog and guard the house?"

"Affirmative, Mistress," replied K9, his metal tail wagging.

"Sarah Jane, I have booked both flights. The flight to Sydney leaves in three hours," said Mr Smith.

"Thank you very much. Right, is everyone packed and ready to go?"

A chorus of "Yes" answered Sarah.

She nodded her head. "Let's go."

I drove Sarah Jane's car with Sarah in the passenger seat and Bry and Luke in the back. Alan and Maria went in their car. We arrived at Gatwick Airport with an hour and thirty minutes to spare. While waiting to board the plane, we discussed what Sec could possibly have in store for us.

The flight to Sydney wasn't eventful, other than a bad bit of turbulence. The connecting flight to Perth had even more turbulence. If I hadn't been so excited, I would have listened to the potential foreshadowing.

Sec Diagoras met us at the airport and took us to two desert jeeps that he had rented. He explained that it would take about a day-and-a-half to reach the site. Sarah, Sec, Luke, and I were in the first jeep, with Sarah driving. Alan was driving the rest of our group across the desert terrain.

Bry's voice crackled through the radio link between the two jeeps. "So, Sec, what's the surprise you have planned for us?"

"I was walking through the Outback a few days ago when I saw a purple light streak across the sky. I followed its trajectory and found that the unidentifiable object had crashed into a mountain," Sec explained. "But it did not really crash… it'll be easier to show you."

We had to spend a night sleeping under the stars. I stayed up, talking with Sec. we had taken off his holo-projector wrist strap when we had left the city of Perth behind. Truth be told, I preferred seeing him as a Human-Dalek. It made me more comfortable.

We woke up early the next morning and made it to our destination in the afternoon. Sec led us on a climb partway up the mountain.

Alan and Clyde let out a low whistle. In the side of the mountain was a gaping hole. It was too perfectly round to be from a natural cause.

"I haven't gone inside yet," said Sec. "But I did find this." He took a crystal from his pocket.

The crystal was of good size, but it was constantly changing colors. It was also emitting a high-pitched whine. Sec explained, "It only changes color and makes that noise when it's in the light."

"Well, why don't we go in?" said Bry before lowering himself into the large hole and dropping down into the darkness. We heard him curse. He called up, "Be careful. It's a big drop."

I followed and immediately turned on my flashlight to get a look around. Once we were all in the perfectly-rounded tunnel, we started walking. After a good ten minutes, we didn't need our flashlights. The tunnel was now illuminated by an eerie purple light.

The tunnel opened into a small, perfectly-shaped cavern. The purple light was coming from an alien spaceship that had been parked in the middle of the cavern.

"Well, they couldn't have crashed," concluded Alan. "The perfectly rounded tunnel and cavern prove that.

"Or maybe they did make an emergency landing, and their weapons system had enough power to make a safer landing," Sarah replied.

We walked around the ship, admiring it. We looked inside the pilot station through the large front window. I noticed an orange light silently flashing inside.

I remarked, "No matter where or when you are, flashing lights are always a bad thing."

"Did we trip a silent alarm somewhere?" asked Maria when they all noticed the light.

"I say we get out of here before whoever this ship belongs to comes back," said Bry.

"We will have to find another way out," Sec responded. "The way we came earlier is too high to climb back out."

Clyde mumbled, "Of course, you tell us this now."

We followed the Human-Dalek, who had put his wrist-strap back on in case of any trouble. It wasn't long before we heard angry cries and weapons fire behind us.

"Maria, we definitely tripped an alarm," her father said.

Our hurried walk instantly became a sprint. We were nearly to the opening of a cave that led to the outside when several streaks of blue went over our heads and into the rocks above the cave mouth. A rumble filled the tunnel and the ground shook beneath our feet. All the weapons fire was causing the tunnel and cave opening to collapse. Rocks started to fall from the ceiling. One hit Alan on his head. He was able to stumble into the cave before falling to the rocky floor. I tripped and fell to my knees. Sec noticed Alan and I on the ground and stopped to help us up. By the time I was back on my feet, the tunnel and cave mouth had caved in. And our five friends were nowhere to be seen. I knew that they hadn't seen the three of us fall and kept going.

My guess was confirmed when Sec, Alan, and I heard Bry, Sarah, Maria, Clyde, and Luke call our names from the outside.

"They have us trapped in here," I stated to Sec and Alan.

Sec shouted to our friends, "We're alright."

"Hang on, we'll get you-" Bry started to say.

Sarah yelped in surprise and pain.

A feminine voice threatened, "Touch those rocks and the woman dies."

Sarah replied, "Please, our friends are in there. One of them might be injured."

"Be silent," repeated the voice.

"But-" Sarah started.

There was the sound of a firearm being shot and a startled scream.

"Maria!" Alan called through the rock wall.

"I'm alright, Dad," she called back.

More rough voices joined the group outside. Rocks shifted behind us. The aliens who had directly chased us were getting through. We were cornered.

"I'm sorry," said Sec. "I should not have-"

"No, Sec, you did the right thing by calling us here," I interrupted. "We just weren't prepared."

Sec's Human face was the last thing I saw before the aliens broke through the collapsed tunnel.


	2. Chapter 2

I am so sorry for the long delay. School is hard work, and my muse has been screaming at me to finish Death's Shadow. I'll try to update this one more often.

Chapter 1

Another day. Another day of grueling work. Another day of having the once-daily meal of tasteless sludge. Another day-

When had I started all this inward complaining? Ah yes, the night after my first dream. It had been many, many nights ago. A slave having dreams was unheard of.

Slaves, yes, that's what we were. We were all born as slaves of the Udoni. None of us Humans had known any other life. Work was our life.

I was a mine slave. From suns-up to suns-down, I mined for metals and precious stones. Gehenna was the largest mine, so, naturally, it had the most slaves and slave-drivers.

Labor slaves were never given names, or any type of identification. I was nameless, but, compared to the other slaves, far from soulless. Except for seven other slaves. I recognized a certain light in their eyes that no others had. Two females, five males.

As I ate my morning meal, my thoughts drifted back to the dream I had had last night. As in all my dreams, I, and the seven 'different' slaves were travelling and having strange adventures. Why did I have these dreams? Were they trying to tell me something? Since dreams were unheard of among slaves, I had no idea what to base any assumptions from.

A slave driver herded us to the mines and handed us our tools. We were only allowed two flasks of water a day, which, like the one meal, was enough to only sustain us for the workday.

Talking and interacting was limited, and the Udoni slavedrivers were not shy in letting us know that. During the day, I noticed that, every time I caught the older woman from my dream's eye, she faintly smiled. The day was hot, like any other, even underground.

Finally, the day ended. Males and females were separated and herded to our little burrows. The only good thing about Gehenna was the fact that each slave had their own burrow. But we were forbidden to visit eachother. So controlling were the Udoni that male and female slaves slept on opposite sides of Gehenna. I went to my little burrow and secured the curtain closed.

I dreamed that night as well. The eight of us slaves were being chased through a tunnel as bright flashes flew over our heads. I nearly screamed when I woke up. These dreams would end up driving me insane someday.



The morning alarm seemed to ring far too early. I knew I would be very tired today, because I had only gotten an hour or so of sleep. The woman approached me from behind on the way to the eating area. She slipped her arm around my waist and pressed her lips to my cheek. A second later, she was gone in the mass of slaves.

Confused, I got a bowl of the tasteless sludge and ate. I didn't see the woman even after we had been given our tools and sent to work. She was always with my mining group. Although, she had been absent twice before. To be honest, I was worried about her. I was sure the guards would soon notice her absence.

Not long after the work day had begun, the alarm sounded again. We knew where to go. Being the closest to the announcement area, I was one of the first to arrive. Slaves hurried to group together so that they wouldn't get punished for being slow. I saw the younger woman from my dreams down the front line, only a few people away. I glanced around and caught sight of the brown-skinned young man from my dreams as well.

Those of us within earshot stiffened at the cry of pain.

"Shut up! Your punishment hasn't even started yet," barked the tall and muscular reptilian Udoni who was pulling the older woman from my dreams by her hair. He kicked her legs out from under her once she was front of us. She went down to her knees, his large and scaly hand still entangled in her hair. He ordered her, "Tell all your fellow slaves what you were caught doing."

"I… I went into the Udoni Compound," she admitted.

I closed my eyes. Being anywhere near the Udoni Compound was bad. And she had actually gone inside?

Another cry of pain forced me to open my eyes. The Udoni holding the woman said, "Now, why did you go inside?"

"I was hungry. I was looking for food." Something about the way she said that suggested to me that she was lying. The Udoni guard didn't catch it, though.

"Looking for food? You weren't happy with what we were giving you? Is it not good enough for you?"

The woman was silent. The Udoni yanked her head back by her long brown hair. "Answer!" he commanded, bringing a chop down onto her throat.

I had to stop myself from calling out 'Sarah Jane.' Why was I even thinking that? She didn't have a name, none of us did. But… Sarah Jane was what I had called her in a dream.

I was brought back to reality by another cry of pain. Sarah Jane was now on the ground, unsupported by the Udoni.



"You've broken a big rule today, slave," the guard spat in her face. He announced to the mass of us, "This is what happens when you decide to complain."

The Udoni man began the punishment with many kicks to Sarah's sides and abdomen.

_Beard aimed several savage kicks to her chest, ribs, and abdomen__. _

The guard wrenched her up to her knees by her arm.

_Beard seized a handful of her hair and yanked her up to her knees. _

The Udoni punched the side of her face. She fell into the dirt.

_He backhanded Sarah with enough power to send her crashing into another sales rack._

The reptilian aimed a kick at the back of her neck.

_Beard suddenly kicked the back of her neck._

The Udoni picked her up to her knees by her hair.

_Who did you call?" Beard asked after yanking Sarah upright by her hair._

"Still hungry?" the guard mocked before serving a backhand to her face. Sarah's nose was now freely bleeding.

"_That is none of your concern. I am asking __the questions here, not you," he__ emphasized with another blow to her face. By now, her nose was bleeding__._

"Please… stop…" Sarah begged.

"_Please… don't hurt them… they're all… I have."_

The Udoni backhanded her again.

_Beard hit her again. _

The slavedriver flashed his pointed teeth in a smile before picking her up and slamming her back into a stack of crates.

_Beard snarled before yanking her up to her feet by the collar of her shirt and roughly backed her up into the wall._

The Udoni drove his knee into her chest. She fell to her hands and knees, trying to breathe.

_T__he traitorous man kneed her in the stomach, making her double over, gasping for air._

The reptilian wasn't finished yet. He went over to get a whip from another guard. He slowly came up behind Sarah with it outstretched between his two hands.

_But Beard's rage wasn't done yet. He grabbed a belt from the wall and slowly approached Sarah with it._

"No! Stop it! Leave her alone!" I screamed.

"_No! Stop it! Leave her alone!" I screamed. _

I didn't realize what I had done until the Udoni, who was about to wrap the whip around Sarah's neck, looked up from his prey and directly at me. He stopped and 

pondered for a quick moment. He picked Sarah up by the back of her tattered brown shirt and pitched her at me. All the slaves backed away, except me, the younger brown-haired woman, and the brown-skinned man.

I caught Sarah Jane in my arms. The slavedriver approached, the long whip trailing on the ground from his hand. "You want to get involved? Hold her still," the reptilian ordered before raising the whip to bring down on her back.

I turned us around and was met with the cutting fire of the whip on my back. I yelped in Sarah's ear at the pain. She expressed a little surprise at my attempt to protect her.

"I told you to hold her still, slave, not to protect her. Unless, of course, you want to take her full punishment yourself," said the Udoni. "I'll give you a minute to decide if her welfare is really any of your concern.

I looked down at the woman standing in my arms. She whispered in my ear, "Turn back around and hold me still."

"But he'll-"

"I know what he'll do, but you can't take the punishment for me. I broke the rules, not you. I deserve this, not you. Now, please, do what he says."

I turned us back around. The guard was pleased with my decision. He told me to hold up the back of her tattered brown shirt. I did, and held her tightly around her shoulders. She slid her arms up my back and rested her chin on my shoulder, ready for her penalty. The whip came down on her naked back, marring her slightly tanned skin with a crimson stripe. Sarah Jane's grip on my shirt tightened, and she buried her face in my neck. The next strike made her yelp. And on the third, she let out a strangled scream.

I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to be somewhere else, anywhere else, with Sarah Jane. I felt her body jerk and her grasp on my shirt tighten with each strike. Her cries of pain echoed in my ears.

The slavedriver was not satisfied until Sarah seemed lifeless in my arms. Her body was completely slack. If not for the ragged labored breathing in my ear, I would have thought her to be unconscious. I wished that she was unconscious, for I could see that the Udoni guard had more in mind for her. The slavedriver rolled up the whip and attached it back onto his belt before going inside the guardhouse.

My tight hold on Sarah was the only thing stopping her from falling to the ground. Tears from her eyes and blood from her nose and mouth soaked the shoulder of my tattered tunic. I felt her struggle to stay on her feet. She buried her face in my neck. I continued to support her with one arm while I used the other hand to stroke her hair. I could feel the stares of the other slaves.



_I slightly smiled and absent-mindedly stroked her hand and her hair. Sarah was still conscious, but so out of it that she didn't even flinch when a gruff familiar voice said, "How adorable. Should I tell your boyfriend that you're cheating on him with an older woman?"_

The slavedriver came out of the guardhouse and suddenly wrenched Sarah from my grasp. "Consider this an honor, slave. You will be the first in one hundred years to be on the Post," he sneered before half-dragging her over to the punishment pole in front of the guardhouse. He chained her wrist to the hanging manacles. He announced to us slaves, "She will be left there for three days with no food, water, or sleep. If any one of you come and try to help her at anytime, you'll join her. Now, back to work." I heard him say to another Udoni, "Make sure that she does not sleep."

It was so hard for me to leave Sarah Jane there, slack against that pole, trying in vain to keep her footing. I, along with the other six different slaves, was among the last to hurry back to work.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this is taking forever. I wish I had more time to write…

Chapter 2

Those three days were hell. I missed Sarah Jane's consistent nearby presence. I had to pass by the Post every morning and evening. By the third night, she was so weak from the continual beatings and lack of food and water that she could no longer lift up her head.

The next morning, I had to stop and watch two Udoni guards take Sarah down from the pole. One slung the unconscious woman over his shoulder and started walking towards the slave burrows.

"What are you staring at?" the other guard sneered at me.

I lowered my gaze and continued my hurried walk to the mines. I wasn't paying attention and was knocked down when I ran into another slave. He held out his hand and helped me up.

"Sorry," I muttered, looking up at his face. He was one of the different slaves.

_I was wearing a white dress, and he was in a black suit. He held my hands in his. _

"_Brian Shrieber, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

"_I do."_

"_And do you, Tegan Landson, take this man to be your husband?"_

"_I do."_

"_You may now kiss the bride."_

_Bry and I closed our eyes and leaned forward. We savored the soft kiss that symbolized our being together._

He smiled at me before hastening to get to his work group. I shook my head to clear it of the latest daydream. But, my mind was still not focused enough. All day, I thought of Sarah Jane. I had to see her tonight. I had to know if she would make it. Due to this desire, the day seemed to go by much more slowly than usual. I rushed ahead of the mass of slaves after the work day so that I could go to my burrow sooner. But, going to my own wasn't my intention. I used my spare time to peek into all the burrows. I found Sarah Jane's quickly enough. I went inside and secured the curtain closed.

The Udoni had left the woman lying in the dirt, a few inches from the sleep mat. I dropped to my knees and turned her over onto her back. After getting her onto the sleep mat and propping her up against the wall, I took the water flask that I had stolen and slowly poured some into her slightly open mouth. It took a couple more times of doing this for her to respond.



Sarah Jane coughed and sputtered before her eyes drowsily opened. "Wh…where am… am I?"

"Your burrow," I answered. "I'm surprised that the guards didn't make you work today, after they took you down."

Sarah closed her eyes. "One... small mercy," she commented, reaching out for the water flask. I handed it to her and she slowly sipped from it, letting the slightly cool liquid rejuvenate her senses. She gave it back to me when it was half-empty. "Still, they will make me work tomorrow," she said.

Sarah shook her head, and suddenly swayed forward. I caught her and studied the pained expression on her face. There had to be something more I could do for her. I asked, "Do you mind if I see what they did to you?"

Sarah shook her head again. I helped her take off her ragged tunic and lie down on her front on the mat. Yellow, purple, and black bruises colored various areas of her body. Angry red whip gashes adorned her entire back.

Without quite knowing why, I poured some water on the tunic in my hands and gently pressed it against a whip welt near the base of Sarah's neck. She hissed at the stinging pain. I withdrew the wet cloth and apologized.

"D-don't stop," she requested. "I was a little surprised."

With Sarah's permission, I continued dabbing the barely-healing cuts with the wet tunic. She was silent, save for the occasional hisses of pain.

Finally, I asked, "Do you have a name?"

"A name?" she echoed. "We don't have identification."

"I know. But, I wanted to call you something during your punishment. I wanted to call you 'Sarah Jane.'"

"Sarah Jane…" she whispered. "I like it." She sat back up and I helped her get back into her damp shirt. She leaned back against the wall and didn't object to me pushing up her pants legs so survey the damage there- only a few bruises.

I leaned in and kissed Sarah's forehead. She asked, "Are you going to your own burrow now?"

I shook my head. "It's too late. Any of the sentries out there could see me."

With a tired arm, Sarah pulled me close until my head was in her lap. Absent-mindedly, she started stroking my hair, as though it were a natural thing for her to do.

After a few minutes, I looked up at her and stated, "Sarah Jane, you lied." Her response was a half-smile. I continued, "You didn't go into the Udoni compound for food. You went in there for something else. And, you've done it twice before."



Sarah nodded. "I'm glad they caught me going in, rather than coming out." She leaned over and pulled something from out underneath the sleep mat. She handed me the four sheets of translucent paper.

I studied the sheets for a minute before I whispered in awe, "I can read this."

"So can I," Sarah replied.

"But- how? We were never taught to read or write."

"That is one of the many things I don't know. But, I do know that there are eight of us. Eight of us who are different from all the other Humans."

The top sheet of paper had an image of the younger woman from my dreams. I looked through the information. My eyebrows furrowed together as I tried to make sense of the words. "I can read it, but I don't understand what it all means," I admitted.

Sarah nodded. "We understand the words, but we don't know the context, the meanings they have."

The second page showed a tan-skinned man with short dark hair. The third had an image of a brown-skinned man. And the fourth, the man I had bumped into earlier.

Sarah said, "I went back in to try to find mine, yours, and the other two."

"If you had been successful when they caught you…"

"My punishment would have been… much more severe, to say the least."

"What exactly made you go in the first time?"

"A feeling. When I started dreaming a few weeks ago, I had to find out why. I don't know why I went into the Udoni compound… but that's where I ended up, looking for answers. I found those first two papers before I decided to leave. I went back again, searching for the other slaves in my dreams and found those other two. There's something… completely different about the eight of us."

"Other than the fact that we have dreams? If the two of us do, then the other six must."

"Good reasoning. But there is more to it than dreams… I've been studying these," Sarah took the sheets back. "Nothing on these strikes my attention. But, I need to… I need to…"

"Investigate?" I supplied.

Sarah nodded. "Investigate."

"_Who the bloody hell are you?" asked the gang leader after Sarah, Alan, and I burst through the door._

"_Sarah Jane Smith, investigative journalist," Sarah answered. _

I said aloud, "Sarah Jane Smith, investigative journalist."

Sarah half-smiled. "The real question is: what is the purpose of our dreams?"



I yawned and leaned back against the wall. Sarah laid down and rested her head in my lap. I was nearly asleep when she asked, "Is it alright if I give you a name?"

"Go ahead."

"In my dreams, your name is Tegan."

"I like it," I agreed before drifting into the realm of dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Once again, the morning alarm seemed to blare too early. For a second, I had forgotten why the woman I called Sarah Jane was asleep on my lap and why my hand was entangled in her hair. Then the entire conversation from the night before flooded back. Sarah was onto something, but what? If only we could understand what the reports meant.

The second alarm blare didn't wake Sarah either. Three days without sleep had really taken a toll on her. I leaned over and whispered her name into her ear. She awakened just as the alarm sounded for the third and final time.

Sarah said, "Tegan is your name?"

"That's what you called me," I replied.

"And Sarah Jane is my name?"

I nodded.

"Good. I wanted to be sure that what happened last night wasn't a dream."

I half-smiled. "Come on, we can't afford to be late for work."

We joined in the mass of slaves going to eat our only meal of the day. I caught sight of the younger woman from my dreams and whispered to Sarah, "Will we make contact with her tonight?"

My new friend nodded. "The trouble will be getting to the men."

An incident happened during the eating time. The Udoni handing out the food bowls approached Sarah Jane and me. I realized that it was the same guard who had punished Sarah. He gave me a bowl and flask of water with no hesitation. When he got to Sarah, he pretended to trip and dropped the bowl of food on the ground. It landed upside-down along with the water flask. The Udoni smirked and walked away.

"Have mine," I offered as soon as he was out of earshot.

Sarah shook her head. "You have it."

"You haven't eaten for three days," I argued, pushing my bowl to her. "You need it more than I do." Sarah accepted it and quickly wolfed it down.

Another incident happened halfway through the workday.

"Whatever you do, do not call attention to yourself," Sarah suddenly whispered to me.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Don't interfere," she hissed before she was abruptly yanked backwards by a large scaly hand around her neck.

All of us slaves in the work group quickly glanced behind to see what had happened. Sarah was on the ground, trying to fill her lungs with air. Once again, she was at the mercy of the same Udoni man who had punished her. It took all my willpower to not interfere, as Sarah had told me. The other slaves nervously turned their attention back to their work, glancing over their shoulders. I attempted to follow their lead, but it was so hard not to focus on Sarah.

"P-please, I've l-learned my lesson," my friend begged, her voice thick from the blood welling in her mouth.

"Who are you to decide that? You are Human. I am Udoni overseer Trahan. You are nothing."

"I-I'm something enough f-for you to punish," Sarah quietly said.

Trahan heard her. He picked her up by her hair and shoved her into the dirt-and-stone wall. Her forehead struck a sharp stone and she dropped to the ground, clutching her face.

Sarah attempted to get up to her knees with one hand, but Trahan kicked her arm out from under her. He took the small club from his belt and circled his struggling prey. All the Udoni had small clubs on their belts, but they were only to be used when a slave attacked a guard. That was something that had never happened since I had been brought here all those years ago.

Sarah was halfway up when Trahan struck a blow to her back. She fell and yelped into the dirt. I tried so hard to look away, to think of anything except what was happening again to my friend, but each of her cries brought me back to reality. Trahan stopped when the last blow of the club nearly dislocated Sarah's jaw.

The Udoni noticed my stare and said, "You're the one who tried to protect her. Answer."

"Yes," I hesitantly said.

"Come here," Trahan ordered. "Don't worry, I'm not going to punish you for that."

I swallowed and went to him. I glanced behind him at Sarah, who was on her stomach, moaning into the dirt.

Trahan asked when my focus was on him, "What does she mean to you?"

I saw Sarah lift her head and slightly shake it. I answered, "Nothing. She means nothing to me."

"You wanted to help her, to protect her, only a few days ago."

"I have realized that the only thing she can possibly do for me is get me into trouble."

"Are you certain?"

"This woman means absolutely nothing to me. Do whatever you want to her."

Trahan thought for a moment. "I want you to prove your feelings. Get the biggest rock you can find. Go."

I heard no outcries from Sarah when I ran to the rock quarry. I had no idea what Trahan wanted with the large rock, but I knew it wasn't going to be good. I didn't pick up the largest rock, but the one I chose still was heavy and required two hands to carry.

Trahan nodded and came to me as soon as he saw me. "Good." He dropped the volume of his voice. "I want you to prove to me that she means nothing to you. I want you to seriously injure her foot with that rock."

"But, she will not be able to work."

"I thought you didn't care. If she doesn't work, she will be disciplined. Those are the rules."

I would have asked Trahan what would happen if I refused, but I knew that he would seriously injure more than just Sarah's foot. Something about the lesser of two evils flickered in my mind. I took a deep breath before nodding my head.

The Odoni nodded approvingly and led me back to my friend. He kicked her over onto her back, kneeled at her side, and looked to me. He said, "This slave attacked me, didn't she?"

I shifted my eyes away and nodded. Sarah made the association between the heavy rock in my arms and Trahan's accusation. Her eyes widened and her breathing came out in short uneven breaths. "No! Please!" she cried as the overseer grabbed her leg. In her thrashing, she accidentally kicked his face, then started crawling away. I let Trahan tackle her back to the ground, straddle her waist, and repeatedly punch her mouth until the lower half of her face was hidden under fresh blood. The fight left Sarah. She allowed him to take off the covering on her right foot and hold her leg down. He angled her foot so that the ankle was exposed.

"Lift it over your head and drop it on her," Trahan instructed.

I looked at Sarah, who nodded once and closed her eyes, preparing for the pain to come. I lifted the rock above my head. Why couldn't Trahan have just left Sarah Jane alone? This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. Was there a purpose to this torture? Once again, something about the lesser of two evils surfaced in my mind. I shut my eyes and let the rock fall.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Crushing bone and screaming voice were the two sounds that echoed in my ears. I opened my eyes. Sarah Jane was writhing in the dirt, trying to get her crushed foot from underneath the weighty stone. Trahan cruelly added his weight on top of the load for a few seconds, making Sarah's strangled screams even louder.

Trahan said to me after he stepped off of the rock, "I'll remember you for any favors I see fit to bestow on you." He spat on the writhing and crying Sarah. "I'll remember you also. I'll be back in a few minutes. You had better be on your feet working. Is that understood?"

Sarah's agonized state made it impossible for her to respond.

"I asked you if that was understood," Trahan repeated, stepping on the heavy stone again.

"Yes!" Sarah managed to choke out.

"Good," Trahan replied before stalking away.

The instant the Udoni overseer was out of vision and hearing range, I dropped to my knees, shoved the stone off of Sarah's foot, and attempted to calm her. She panicked and tried to get away when my hand touched her back.

She cried, "No! Don't t-touch me!"

"Sarah, please, you have to get up."

"I c-can't…"

"Please, don't let him make me hurt you again. I can't do it again."

Sarah stopped struggling to get away from me and relaxed as much as she could. I helped her into a sitting position, put one of her arms over my shoulders, and pulled her to her feet. She nearly collapsed once she accidentally put weight on her crushed foot. She threw her arms around my neck to stay up and steady herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I whispered over Sarah's grunts of pain and effort as I helped her to the rock wall. I kissed her cheek and resumed working.

Trahan came back, and nodded in approval when he saw Sarah, standing on one leg, working. He told her, "Remember, you belong to me." He turned and nodded to me.

No one was allowed to help Sarah. Even when we went back at night to our burrows. I kept note of where the girl from my dreams went, and followed Sarah.

I helped Sarah sit down on her sleep mat and asked, "Shall I go get her?"

She nodded. "Go. I'll be alright."

I quickly left and made way for the girl's burrow. I was nearly there when I noticed someone keeping to the shadows. I sneaked up behind the person and grabbed her. I pressed my hand against her mouth to stifle her cry of surprise. I yanked her behind the burrow just as a sentry came into view.

I could feel the young woman's heart beat against mine in the tense silence as the Udoni guard stopped and listened. Our heartbeats and controlled breathing sounded too loud to our ears. The sentry, after a very long moment, was satisfied and kept going.

"That was close," the girl from my dreams breathed.

"It was. Come on, my friend and I need to speak with you."

The two of us stuck to the shadows, and were not seen by any sentries. Once inside Sarah's burrow, we let ourselves breathe normally.

"No trouble, I hope," Sarah greeted.

"We had a damn near close call," I replied.

The first thing the younger woman noticed was Sarah's broken foot. She kneeled and asked, "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Overseer Trahan decided that my punishment wasn't enough. I got through work today only by extreme willpower. I'm not quite sure how I'll do tomorrow, though."

The girl nodded, then glanced between Sarah and me. "I know you two, but I don't. I mean, at night, I travel with you."

"In your dreams," Sarah said. "We have the same dreams. That's why Tegan went to get you tonight."

"Tegan?"

"That is my name," I replied. "She called me Tegan in her dreams. I called her Sarah Jane, or Sarah."

"What's my name?"

"Maria," answered Sarah after a moment of thinking.

"Maria," the girl echoed.

Sarah handed Maria the four translucent sheets of paper.

"Is that one me?" Maria asked of the top paper.

Sarah and I nodded.

Her next response was, "I can read this. But how?"

"We never learned," I answered. "But, I know we did."

"What exactly does all this mean?"

"We don't know," Sarah responded. "Maybe, if we can get to the men, it'll come together."

"Any ideas?" asked Maria.

"Tegan won the favor of overseer Trahan," Sarah pointed out.

"How did you manage that?"

I glanced at Sarah's foot and ignored the question. I sighed. "I can't promise anything. But, if the opportunity comes, I will do my best."

"That's all we can ask," Sarah replied.

Maria yawned. Sarah pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "We'll need our rest for tomorrow," the older woman said.

I didn't expect the opportunity to get close to Trahan to come the next day, but it did.

Sarah, Maria, and I were eating our morning meal in relative silence. Trahan and two other Udoni approached our table. The two guards grabbed Sarah by the arms and pulled her up to her feet. My friend yelped and fell against one of them when her injured foot made contact with the floor.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"You'll find out soon enough," Trahan answered. He gestured to the two guards, who half-carried Sarah from the room. The overseer then turned to me and gently pulled me up from my chair. "I want you to walk with me," he said.

I nodded and allowed him to lead me outside.

After a few minutes, Trahan asked, "I am curious to know why you were sitting with that woman."

"She is afraid of me. Perhaps that fear will keep her in line."

"Ah, good. For a slave, you have an interesting way of thinking."

"Thank you, sir."

"The reason I asked you to come with me is because I want your opinion on a matter."

"I am nothing but a slave, sir. Why my opinion?"

"I am tired of the typical Udoni answers." He stopped and watched as the slaves split into their workgroups and began mining. "You see, I am not merely an overseer. I am completely in charge of the slaves. I arrange for their purchase, well-being, and, if needed, punishments. But, lately, those in charge of the minerals the slaves mine for have been noticing a considerate drop in work output. I've tried a few methods to put an end to that, but none worked as well as they would like. The Udoni answers are always along the lines of harsher punishments, less food, less water, until the slaves learn their lesson. What do you think of that?"

"Would those treatments have the opposite effect. I believe we- the slaves would be weakened and the drop in the output would be even more considerate."

"Exactly what I thought. What do you think I should do?"

Here was my chance. I thought for a moment of how to word my reply. "Perhaps, the slaves need a moral boost."

"What do you mean?"

"The Udoni keep us solitary. We can't talk during work, we sleep alone. We are isolated from each other. Oh, I do hope I'm not being too bold."

"Go on," Trahan prompted.

"Maybe… we could be allowed to interact. Males and females."

"That is a very… refreshing idea. Of course, I would not allow such a thing on a workday. But, there is a storm due to hit us the day after tomorrow. The conditions of and after these occasional storms make the mines impossible to work."

I nodded, having gone experiencing a few of these storms myself.

"Before the afternoon the storm is due to hit, I will stop the work, and allow the slaves to spend the remainder of the day with whomever they choose. I will allow the whole of the next day to be spent in that manner." Trahan put his arm around my shoulders. "I knew it was a good idea to ask for your opinion. Punishment, though somewhat enjoyable for me, is best used in moderation. Except in the case of that woman."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, where did the two guards take her?"

"To the Udoni compound. She isn't being punished. Instead, they are fixing her foot." Trahan let out a small laugh. "I can be cruel, yes. But, a slave with a broken foot is not going to get much work done. Besides, if the injury became permanent, I would have had to replace her, and slaves can be somewhat expensive." We stopped walking near my workgroup. "I believe this is where you work. Thank you for your sound advice."

With a small bow, I joined the group of slaves. I made sure Trahan didn't see my smile of victory.


End file.
